


Calm in the Storm

by BluBooThalassophile



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Magic, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-04 19:49:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11562129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluBooThalassophile/pseuds/BluBooThalassophile
Summary: A scattered series of snippets of no particular order, revolving around a relationship.





	1. Calm in the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> These snippets are not in chronological order and are random.

Damian had found drawing to be the most entertaining thing he did; especially since he was no longer required to draw what his tutors demanded of him. No, he was free to draw whatever he pleased; and art was truly the only class in his pathetic school which was worthy of his full attention.

This week’s assignment was to draw his family.

He’d proceeded to draw Goliath, Titus, Batcow, Alfred (the cat) immediately. He loved his animals like they were his family, and he’d destroy anyone who threatened his pets. He put aside the drawing of Goliath though, it wouldn’t do to blow his cover as Robin by turning that in. A quick pencil sketch of Titus sleeping with Alfred in a patch of sunlight in the Manor library was one to be turned in. And he drew Batcow grazing on the Manor lawn. All simple, easy sketches and he was satisfied with them.

Next, he moved to sketching Pennyworth, it was easy to corner the old man in the kitchen, and Damian spent an afternoon perfecting the sketch of Pennyworth baking. That evening he silently sat with his father in the study as his father worked on Wayne Enterprises and Damian sketched him. He was rather pleased with the results; his father was an excellent art subject to sketch and it had turned out well with the lighting of the study.

The next day he sketched Brown and Cain sparring before patrol; they were both in their civvies so it was rather easy to draw them. He liked the play of light and dark, and was careful not to smudge the charcoal as he worked. He showed it to his father before patrol and preened when his father praised him for his talent. Damian liked art, he loved it, he loved sketching, and painting, and more than that, he loved being good at it.

The following afternoon he sat in the school library working on a reluctant sketch of Drake. Drake was a part of the family according to Grayson, even if Damian and he did not get along. Still, the assignment was to draw the family, and Drake was his father’s adopted son and that made him family. Damian drew Drake asleep in the library because he liked the lighting in the library and knew it by heart; so he didn’t actually have to be there to draw Drake.

His next study was Grayson and Gordon, they were getting married in a month. He was pleased about the wedding, but he was also a bit uneasy with the wedding and what it could mean for him. However, Gordon would be family after the wedding, and she was already family, so he would include her in his sketches. It was an afternoon he knew they’d be at the park, when he ditched school and hid out in a tree to sketch Grayson and Gordon together. Grayson and Gordon were the couple who just oozed happiness, joy, and love, it was something he’d heard Jon say people wanted and envied. Damian just enjoyed being around them. It was kind of fun to sketch them, they were so… happy, it was a bit infectious as he sketched their smiles and enjoyed his afternoon out.

Catching Thomas and Kane was a challenge but Damian felt he succeeded. He managed to capture Thomas when he was lost in his music doing his homework, it was a challenging sketch to get the lighting right. However, Damian was very pleased with the results. As to catching Kane, she had not made it easy, Damian had needed to stalk her through Gotham until she settled in her office then he settled on a perch to sketch her; Kane was family after all.

Mentally he ticked off the list of who his family was and was satisfied that he had everyone except his mother and grandfather, but after his death he wasn’t overly keen on adding them to his family sketches. And he could not add the Titans, that would reveal his identity as Robin, and aside from Raven and Stone, he was not close to any of the others on the team.

At least he thought he had all the family until Todd recklessly came crashing into a warehouse he’d been trapped in, guns firing, and people screaming as the chaos which was Jason Todd ensued. Honestly! Damian had come here on a case, he’d been a little underprepared for the manpower this smuggling operation had but he had had everything completely under control! Then Todd just came barreling in with a wild laugh and reckless actions; it was infuriating to him. People would think he couldn’t handle himself!

“I had everything completely under control!” he snapped as he helped Todd tie up the gunmen and smugglers.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get your cape in a twist, I’m only here to meet up with a little bird, baby bird,” Todd dismissed as he walked down the docks.

“Since you’re here I suppose I have to draw you as well, Hood,” Damian growled a bit as he jogged with Todd.

“Huh?”

“Draw, it is an art assignment, I have to draw the family,” Damian explained.

“Nope, no need, we aren’t family, I’m here for a different bird,” Todd quickly said uncomfortably.

“I will pass this assignment, and you’re family! Father would be displeased if I did not draw you as well,” Damian hissed.

“I don’t give a shit what the old man wants or likes or what pleases him! No. I am not here for Bat family time!” Todd growled lowly.

“But I have to draw the family,” Damian persisted. He was still going to draw Todd, now that he was here, but truthfully Damian was not as familiar with Todd’s face and did not wish to mess it up. Failure was not an option.

“Nope, gotta go, see you later baby bird,” Todd shouted as he took an escape to the rooftops. Damian scowled a bit but he was not deterred. He would have a portrait of Todd for his assignment, he was not failing!

Damian spoke to Gordon about using her cameras to track down Todd; it wouldn’t be easy but he was too tired to try to do it himself tonight. Besides, he had to get up tomorrow for school, though he found the institution pointless and useless, his father, Grayson and Pennyworth refused to let him drop it entirely. Also, he was surrounded by idiots at that institute, and it was poorly kept; even for a prestigious school it was poorly kept.

He made it through his literature class before he received a text from Gordon saying Todd was in New York City.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason had come stateside tracking a child smuggling ring, run out of Slovakia. He’d been systematically tearing it all down, which had had him moving all over Europe, but in his pursuit, he was now stateside, not a thrilling thought because he’d have to deal with Bats. However, a beautiful little bird he hadn’t seen in a long while went to school at NYU, and Jason was more than happy to spend time with that Titan, especially since it’d be Jason Todd and Rachel Roth hanging out and no one would be following her about.

The problems with being dead and dating a famed Titan… paparazzi. Raven handled it all with far more grace than he could, also she was ‘the boring Titan’ according to the paparazzi. To him she was anything but boring, however he was happy that his girlfriend did not attract all the media attention her fellow Titans did. Jason was pretty sure it was because of the media that secret identities were almost shot to hell; well, his barely concealed secret identity was almost destroyed already, but to hell with it, he was dead! DEAD! Oh all the freedom being dead brought him!

But also, they’d been smart about how they had set this up so they could have civilian lives. And aside from Victor, no one knew Raven’s secret identity, she’d been smart about never giving it to the Titans, or registering it with the League, so Rachel Roth was just Rachel Roth. A twenty something student at NYU who was trying to become a writer, and was getting a degree in literature. She made a quiet living as a freelance writer, and had a boyfriend who owned this apartment complex; legally too, (he even had one of his legitimate aliases on the lease agreement, Jason T. Peters), he’d even bought several other buildings around the city and maintained them well when he was here, other than that, everyone thought he was a traveling businessman. It was so mundane and boring that he knew no one ever look at Rachel Roth and see the powerful Titan Raven. It was brilliant.

Getting off the subway in Brooklyn he pulled out his cell as he dialed a number he had long since memorized as he walked towards their civilian apartment.

“Hello?” her husky voice answered and he grinned.

“Miss me little bird?”

“I saw all the destruction you brought with you to Gotham,” she said monotonously, but he heard the lilt of amusement in her tone.

“Might as well make an entrance,” he smirked as he walked through the crowd.

“So, I, and the entire east coast, can see,” she mused.

“Only Red’s wanted, Jason’s in the clear,” he pointed out. He knew full well that only the Assassins and Bats knew who he was under the hood. The FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA, Homeland, KGB, Mossad, Interpol, A.R.G.U.S., and a bunch of other agencies he couldn’t bother to remember, all still had no clue that Jason Todd was alive, and he was aiming to keep it that way.

“Are you coming over?” she hummed.

“Well, you’re the empath, you tell me,” he mused as he started pulling out the keys to the apartment building they were living in.

“I can only feel that you’re close, in the city everything is askew,” she huffed.

“Aw, poor princess, your senses over stimulated?” he asked.

“Not right now, the shields are up,” she countered. He shook his head at her missing what he was asking but decided in about five minutes he could live with it.

“Well, love, I’m here, so open the door?” he asked when he stopped at apartment 4C. The line went dead and he heard Raven scrambling behind the door, he slipped his phone in his pocket as he listened to the deadbolts he’d installed the last time he’d been here flip open before the door was open and his arms were full of Raven.

“I missed you!” she stated, he stumbled into their apartment, kicking the door shut as her magic filled the apartment, all the lights were brightening as a few things rattled.

“You just missed my waffles,” he teased as he spun her around so her back was pressed up against the door, deftly he locked it for her as his mouth landed on hers’ before she could counter his claim. Good Fucking God He’d Missed Her! She tasted of jasmine tea, shadows, and that dark flavor which was Raven, and he couldn’t get enough of it as his hand dove into her hair and he kept her secured around him. Pulling away he was gasping for air as he lightly kissed his way down her throat.

“Welcome home,” she whispered. He smiled against her skin because he felt like he was home as he pulled her away from the door and carried her straight to the bedroom.

It was a few hours later he was in sweats and in the kitchen as he cooked up a lunch for him and Raven and she was working on homework.

“I’m thinking about renovating the bathroom,” he said suddenly.

“You said the kitchen was the last renovation,” she protested as she looked up at him from where she was working on the island.

“I know, but I really hate that bathroom,” he admitted.

“You cannot go about tearing up this entire apartment just because you don’t like the bathroom,” she stated flatly.

“Come on Rae,” he pleaded as he continued to work on their lunches.

“It took four months to do the kitchen,” she sighed.

“It won’t be that long this time, I’m staying quiet for a few weeks, letting the heat in Gotham die down before I move,” he promised.

“Fine, if you do this it has to be done before you leave, I’m not living without a bathroom,” she warned coldly.

“You’re going to love it, little bird,” he promised as he served up lunch and walked around the island to kiss her brow and see what she was reading.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Damian stood outside of an apartment complex and frowned as he looked over the tenant names on the buzzers. There was no obvious alias of Todd’s here, which was a bit vexing because he’d memorized the known aliases his father had listed for Todd. Pulling out his phone he dialed Gordon’s number. He was not failing this assignment and he couldn’t break into this apartment in broad daylight; father would be furious and Damian did not particularly want to go to juvie.

“Hello?”

“Are you certain Todd went in this building?” Damian barked out.

“He even pulled out a key according to the footage I can see,” Gordon sighed.

“Well, his name is not on the tenants listed on this buzzer!” he hissed. He really just wanted to break in there and find Todd and make him sit still for a portrait. Damian would draw his whole family as the assignment required; this was the one class he actually liked and he intended to keep his A+ in it!

“Hold on,” Gordon started typing on the other end of the line. Damian stood there waiting impatiently, amazed that no one had come in or out of the building so he could slip in. Seriously! This was New York! The busiest city in the world! And no one had come in or out at all!

“The building is owned by one Jason T. Peters, twenty-five, go figure,” Gordon sighed.

“What?”

“He made a legitimate identity for this one, it’s why it hasn’t popped up, according to records Jason Peters is the owner of about ten properties all around New York, wow, they’re actually nice. And he’s been buying up properties in the warehouse districts and refurbishing them, seems legit, even for Jason,” Gordon observed offhandedly.

“Gordon, which apartment is he in!” Damian snapped.

“According to this, he lives in 4C,” Gordon stated.

“That is a Rachel Roth’s apartment, who is she?” Damian demanded.

“Listed as a live in for two and a half years now, Rachel Roth is a student at NYU, literature major, and freelance writer, current ID lists her as twenty-two, I’m not finding much on her,” Gordon said.

“You have been useful,” he said and hung up as he stepped up to the buzzer and pressed the intercom system on, picking a name of what sounded like an old lady. No response, he pressed again.

“Hello?” a sweet old voice replied.

“I’m selling candies for my school are you interested,” he replied in the innocent child tone he’d been parroting off of Jon, or at least trying too. Thinking of Jon he should have brought him along so he had reinforcements on the selling candies idea.

“Come right on up, I’ll just get my check book!” she said sweetly before the door was buzzed open. Damian slipped in then. It was a nice building he noticed as he jogged up the stairs. Quiet. Making it up to the fourth floor he walked down the hall until he came to a corner apartment, 4C.

Stupid Todd, making him track him down! After Damian got that portrait done he was going to kick Todd’s ass and then proceed to tell his harlot all the horrible things Todd did on his off time.

Knocking he waited a beat before he heard the locks flipping and a security bar flicking and then the door was opened.

Lilac orbs blinked, and he just gaped.

“Raven!?” he sputtered.

“Damian!?” she grabbed him and yanked him into the apartment before she shut the door and locked it up again.

“Who was it?” Todd called appearing out of a different room toweling his hair and then glaring at him, Damian was just too flabbergasted to do anything more than stare at his Team Captain on the Titans, and Todd.

“Uh…” Raven just looked too stunned to answer, and Damian couldn’t seem to make his voice work.

“What the hell!?” Todd snapped. “Who brought you here? What the fuck do you want? Does Bruce know you’re here? And how the hell did you find me!?”

“I am here because I need your stupid face for my art project!” Damian snapped; horrified at how he had simplified his vocabulary because he was shocked that Raven and Todd were in a room together. Clearly Jon’s childish ways were rubbing off on him, Damian was not amused.

“I said no!” Todd shouted as he stepped forward.

“Jason,” Raven was suddenly between him and Todd, and Damian saw his eyes glowing green faintly. “He’s not here as a Bat.”

That had Todd growling as he stalked away and Raven turned on him. Damian fidgeted a bit then when the door slammed and he was in the room with Raven alone.

“Tea?” she offered.

“That would be appreciated,” he decided as he followed her to the open kitchen in the corner and took a seat at the island bar.

“This art project, what is it?” Raven asked as she filled up a tea pot and pulled out mugs before setting it on the stove.

“I was assigned to do family portraits, I have so far completed the assignment until Todd was in town, I will not fail this assignment,” he stated fiercely.

“Sounds like you’re persistent about this if Jason told you no last night,” Raven said as she leaned on the counter.

“I will admit that I was not expecting him to be so… uncooperative,” Damian said carefully. He was speaking to a friend and his Team Captain at the Titans, he did not want to insult her.

“He’s very stubborn,” Raven said with a soft smile.

“I was not expecting you to be here, I was expecting to deal with some flouncing blonde bimbo with how Todd hits on Supergirl,” Damian admitted honestly.

“I figured,” Raven said humorlessly.

“I do not mean to insinuate that you’re a flouncing bimbo,” Damian quickly tried to amend.

~~~*~*~*~~~

This morning Raven had not been expecting her boyfriend of three and a half years to come home with explosions and media covering the latest in Red Hood busts. She had been pleasantly surprised by his call and even more thrilled that he had shown up outside their door after being gone for three and a half months. And she’d been more than enthusiastic about taking a day off from the world to have catch up sex with the boyfriend she’d only seen glimpses of on the news or had phone calls from. However today seemed insistent on surprising her again as she had opened the door to the youngest member of her Team in the Titans, and found him gawking like a fish out of water as he stared at her and Jason. Jason had been furious, Raven could even hazard a guess at why he was so furious, she was kind of mad too. But the moment she had sensed the bloodlust and rage on him and seen his eyes starting to pick up that green tint from the Lazarus Pit she had intervened.

He was currently beating on his punching bag set up in the corner of their guest room, she could feel his fury as he attacked the punching bag. And she could sense Damian’s embarrassment, uncertainty, and determination as he sat across from her blundering over his words. It would have been funny had she not been angry about being found out this way, Jason and she had been moving at their own pace and she figured when he was ready he’d tell his family and she’d tell her friends; when they were ready! Until then they wanted to keep it quiet; only Victor knew. She guessed it was too late to be mad about being found out though.

This was not how she had planned it to happen.

“Damian, I understand,” she assured the embarrassed young teen then.

“I’m sorry,” he hesitantly looked around the apartment and she turned when her kettle started singing as she continued making the tea. She set a cup of it in front of Damian before she moved to the guest room where Jason was working out his fury.

“He shouldn’t be here,” Jason growled lowly.

“I know, when you have calmed down, way down, drink this and join us, I’m going to talk to him for a bit, and Jason,” she said as she set the tea on the desk and reached for the door. “Just do the portrait, it’ll go smoother if you just give him what he wants and then he’s gone.”

She left him there before he could argue with her.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school, Damian?” she asked as she walked back to the kitchen then and made her own cup.

“I do not believe that the other class require my presence to function, and they cannot teach me something new,” he shrugged. “You’re Rachel Roth?”

“Yes,” Raven acknowledge as she closed her note books and laptop as she gave Damian her undivided attention and so he couldn’t snoop on her school work.

“I was unaware that you even had a civilian identity,” he said.

“I didn’t tell anyone about it, I wanted it private,” she replied.

“Why?”

“I did not want Zatanna or the League monitoring my every breath, I am not a monster nor am I a criminal so I should not be treated as such, I tolerate that treatment when I work with the League because demons scare people. Also, I just wanted to be human and not have sorcerers and magicians and the League just popping up on my door step,” she admitted. Well, Victor came around for Sunday games and dinner if there wasn’t a mission, but that was family. Jason hadn’t wanted to get involved with his family, but she’d slowly been coaxing him in that direction, she knew he needed to have a good relationship with his family.

“You’re not upset with my arrival?” Damian quickly asked his fear and uncertainty rolling off him even if his voice was indifferent.

“I’m mad, yes, but I’m happy to see you,” she clarified.

“Why?”

“I’m mad because I respect your privacy and I wished to have mine respected in return, but I’m happy to see you Damian,” she explained.

“I see,” he nodded briskly. “How long have you and Todd…?” he looked at a lost then.

“Friends, dating, sleeping together, living together?” she filled in coldly.

“Yes.”

“Six years knowing him, then five years, three and a half years, three years, two and a half years,” she answered swiftly and smirked into her tea as the young teen’s face reddened.

“You did not need to tell him that,” Jason told her as he emerged from the room.

“I felt it was necessary rather than endure his interrogation and my tripping on answers,” she said as she took the tea cup from Jason, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He was a tactile person with those he loved, but this was different, and Raven knew it. Jason was keeping her close so he didn’t do something he’d regret, she would use her empathy on him with his permission. He kissed the top of her head, Raven felt him tremble a bit as she decided to use her empathy to calm and sooth him.

“So what do you want, twerp?” her boyfriend demanded. The gangly young teen scowled a bit and bristled but Raven lifted a brow on him.

“I need a portrait,” he answered. “You can do it with Raven if you want.”

“Me?” Raven blinked, Jason’s arm tightened as she lay an arm over his. He was too tense.

“I have come to consider you family as well, but was not going to do a portrait of the Titans so as not to reveal my identity as Robin,” Damian filled in.

“Please,” Jason whispered.

“Fine, where do you want us?” Raven asked.

“Wherever is fine, live study so do what you normally do,” Damian said.

“I’m cooking,” Jason said suddenly, Raven just nodded to him as he pulled away then. Cooking was how he soothed himself, she just enjoyed the delicious food.

“Since you’re here Damian, stay for dinner, and the night, I’ll take you home tomorrow,” Raven said.

“Father will worry,” Damian pointed out.

“I’m calling him now, and shoes off,” Raven said as she walked to the bedroom to find her Titans phone. This might be a long night but she was not having Damian; trained assassin or not; riding the train at night. Bruce would kill her if she let that happen.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Once Todd seemed to relax as he cooked without talking, the evening went rather smoothly. Raven sat at the counter doing work on her laptop and he had claimed their sofa which had a good view of the kitchen. He was so baffled with them being together that he couldn’t figure out how they could have met. And for five years they’d been friends; he’d been with the Titans for five years! It was so peculiar. And more bizarre, no one had ever noticed. At least, no one in the Wayne family had; he knew if Grayson had such information that he would not stop talking about it until all of the Titans and the League knew. And truthfully, Damian had thought Todd had something going with Supergirl, Kara Danvers.

It appeared he was wrong, so was Jon though, which made Damian feel a bit better about having missed this relationship.

“Raven, Rae, sunshine, love, come on, save and close out the school work,” Todd coaxed and Damian smirked as Raven jolted.

“Smells delicious,” she stretched.

“Almost as good as Pennyworth’s,” Damian sniped.

“It’d better, it’s his recipe,” Todd snapped.

“You should be a vegetarian,” Damian commented as he sat at the table in the corner with Raven who was using her magic to set the table and bring the dishes over.

“Just be happy that I made you a vegetarian dinner,” Todd growled.

“No fighting at dinner, and Damian we respect that you don’t eat meat, but respect that we do,” Raven said firmly as she started serving.

“Very well,” Damian surrendered, Raven had been using that argument since before he’d come to the Tower, and Grayson assured him that there’d be no winning against her.

“Can we send him home now?” Todd asked Raven.

“He’s staying the night,” Raven stated.

“I’m certain father would be fine with me taking the train to Gotham, it’s only an hours ride,” Damian pointed out.

“Damian, until you’re eighteen you are not riding the train from New York to Gotham; assassin trained or not, at night, I will send you to another dimension before I let you,” Raven stated.

“B could come get him,” Todd stated.

“He’s staying the night, Bruce has already agreed to it,” Raven said firmly. “We have a couch, and he can use it.”

“The couch,” Damian choked.

“The guest room is an office, and since the only visitor we have does not stay the night there’s no guest bed,” Raven shrugged.

“He could sleep on the floor,” Todd muttered.

“If you’re not careful you might end up sleeping on the floor,” Raven warned Todd. Todd glared at her but Raven seemed rather unaffected by this. Damian just decided looking at them that if Grayson and Gordon were happiness for couples, Todd and Raven were opposites.

“Not likely to happen,” Jason smirked at her.

“With how you’re going it’s a possibility,” Raven countered.

“Do you have everything you want demon spawn?” Todd asked.

“Yes, I do,” he assured them as he ate the potatoes; not that he’d ever tell Pennyworth or Todd this, but these might be better than Pennyworth’s.

“And this was so fucking important that you stalked me… why?” Todd demanded.

“Because I will not fail my art assignment,” Damian snapped.

“Please tell me that the teacher’s sexy hot or something and not because you’re a type A personality Wayne,” Todd pleaded. Raven smacked Todd up the back of the head then. “Hey! Legitimate question since he stalked me! The only reason I’d have stalk Dick was to impress Donna before I died, and I was his age at the time!”

Raven gave him a bland stare.

Damian frowned.

“No, I did not do this because Mrs. Thompson is hot,” Damian answered; and she was a very beautiful woman.

“Great, Rae, we might be moving,” Todd warned her.

“We’re not moving!” Raven snapped.

“And Bats will be here in a fortnight,” he warned her.

“You’re just sounding paranoid and ridiculous, and you are going to have to deal with them eventually,” Raven stated flatly.

“Not until I’m dead!” Todd countered.

“Only Oracle knows where I am,” Damian pointed out. Now Raven frowned.

“You were saying about that move?” she asked.

“Glad you see it my way, how do you feel about the west coast?”

“You two are being utterly ridiculous,” Damian stated.

“Look kid, I put a lot of work into staying the hell out of B’s hair, and the entire family for that matter, and I do occasionally work in Gotham, but I have moved on and away and I don’t want them stalking me,” Todd stated.

“Father doesn’t stalk us, he just looks after us,” Damian defended.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Todd snorted.

“Completely ridiculous,” Damian muttered.

“So, Damian, how is everything going for school and Robin?” Raven asked slicing off the conversation and he found himself slowly drawn into this conversation. It was after dinner when Raven and Todd were doing dishes that he saw something he didn’t think possible. They played, doing dishes and they were having a water war. After that Raven helped him turn the sofa into a bed before she wished him a good night and left him.

Damian looked at his drawings of Raven and Todd here and he just wondered if it was really worth sharing it when they were so happy being left alone. However, he refused to fail his assignment, perhaps he would speak with Grayson and father about this relationship and what Todd was doing here in New York. Yawning he let sleep take hold of him as for the first time in his memorable life he went to bed before ten o’clock.

New York was rather noisy outside the window but he still felt safe enough to sleep here.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason and she were in bed, Jason was reading his newest novel, and she was reading over a spell book she was trying to figure out.

“I’ll take him home in the morning,” Raven said calmly.

“You could have just teleported him away,” Jason pointed out.

“Jason, I’m tired, and I don’t particularly have the energy to deal with Dick, Tim, Bruce, and Damian all at once at the moment,” she yawned.

“Well, we’d be more tired if the demon spawn hadn’t shown up,” he murmured as he set her book aside and his book was on his nightstand. She sighed as his lips were pressed to her pulse.

“You’re shameless,” she muttered.

“I was deprived of sex for three and a half months, and I missed you,” he murmured against her collarbone.

“Missed you too,” she murmured as she tugged on his hair, bringing his mouth to hers.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason stared at Raven as she slept soundly beside him and he felt content. Restless; he was still in a different time zone, but he felt content as he moved her black hair aside and studied her face quietly. The woman was a Queen, an angel, and his God’s send. He could remember when she’d found him and then snuck him into the Tower to help him, her and Victor would have gotten in so much shit if Dick or Bruce knew about that.

However, she had saved him, and Victor had helped him.

Rolling out of bed he pulled on his discarded sleep pants before padding out of their room. The demon brat was sleeping on the couch; it was weird having him there, but the brat was sound asleep; feet hanging off the couch too. Silently he moved to his kitchen again as he pulled out some orange juice and quietly poured it as he opened his book and sat in the nook reading by the city’s light.

Leaving Gotham was the best fucking choice he’d ever made, and he would happily never look back on this decision. Jason read until dawn, then his eyes flicked up when his girlfriend stumbled out of their room wearing his red t-shirt, and yoga pants.

“Morning,” she mumbled as she came over to the reading nook he’d built her when he’d first started renovating buildings. She crawled onto his lap and curled up against his chest, she was sound asleep in a second again, he smirked as he let his head fall back and rest against the window sill and he shut his eyes for a moment.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Damian sketched them like that this morning, he did it for a few hours before his phone rang and he saw his father’s number. Both Raven and Todd bolted up when his phone’s ringtone pierced the air looking wild.

“Morning father,” Damian answered, his irritation at having the moment he had been enjoying sketching ruined. They hadn’t moved; for three hours! He’d woken up when Raven had come stumbling out of the room at five, and it was now eight, neither she nor Todd have moved at all; and if he hadn’t known better he’d have thought them both to be dead. Todd groaned, Raven sighed, and Damian tuned them out.

“You’re still with Raven I presume,” his father stated.

“You are tracking my phone, and yes,” he stated. “I will be home before noon.”

“Keep me apprised,” was all his father said before hanging up.

“Now we have to fucking move,” Todd muttered.

“Food,” Raven ordered with a yawn.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, waffles, you kid?” Todd yawned as he stood.

“I do not like waffles,” Damian stated.

“Well you’re going to fucking love mine and eat them all then you and sunshine are heading to Gotham,” Todd stated.

“Father would be pleased to see you, Todd,” Damian persisted. His father always looked so wistful when Todd showed up and then vanished, or when Pennyworth received a text or email or call from Todd. Father was wistful whenever Todd came up or anyone saw or heard from him.

“Don’t give a shit,” Todd snapped.

“Waffles,” Raven muttered.

“Coffee,” Todd yawned.

“On it,” Raven stretched and Damian sat at the island as they worked in silence. Breakfast was served swiftly and devoured. He took Raven up on the offer to shower, and he tried not to cringe about how out of place the bathroom was to the rest of the apartment. The rest of the apartment was a mix between open-vintage-light-classic and then there was this bathroom. Stepping out of the bathroom he looked at the offered clothes tossed on the bed, he wasn’t as tall as Todd; yet, but he wanted the clean shirt.

Looking around the room he noticed that it was practically a library, almost all the walls were covered in shelves, the shelves were even built around the windows, it was rather homey though. Once dressed he walked out of their room to see Raven and Todd both reading, neither seemed inclined to move.

“I’ll grab a shower then we’ll go,” Raven said when he opened his mouth to say his thanks for letting him stay the night. He sighed in irritation knowing there’d been no escaping Raven and dropped in a chair as he scowled at Todd, who didn’t seem to care.

“Your bathroom is shitty,” he stated.

“I know, next project unless I’m moving,” Todd said.

“The apartment is nice,” Damian observed.

“Thanks, restored it myself,” Todd dismissed and Damian blinked at that. Todd didn’t speak further and Damian sighed as he was now reduced to sketching as he waited for Raven to emerge. She appeared shortly, Todd looked up as she walked over to him.

“I’ll be back later, don’t do something rash, love you,” she said.

“Love you little bird,” Jason replied.

Damian looked away when she kissed Todd before he grabbed his bag and followed Raven out of the apartment. They walked in silence all the way to the subway and then rode in silence. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable as he fidgeted in his seat.

“What?” she asked when they exited the subway then.

“Nothing,” he lied.

“Damian, I’m an empath, and if Jason can’t lie to me what makes you think you can?”

“I just did not expect you and Jason to be… together,” he decided.

“Ah, we don’t either.”

“Can I ask how?”

“I found him in the Lazarus Pit madness, I thought he was a demon, I found him in a room of dead bodies; the League of Assassins was after him, he’d destroyed the assassins, and was raving mad. I took him back to the Tower, kept him safe, and when he wasn’t lost in the madness I offered to help him with it,” she shrugged.

“Why did you never tell father?”

“Because Jason asked me not to, and that is what you do for friends, Damian. You help them, and I do not think that at that time Bruce or any of you, would have been much help for him, and afterwards he hasn’t wanted to mend fences,” Raven stated as she bought them tickets to Gotham, hers was a round trip though. “I’ve been pushing him towards it, slowly.”

“Are you two… happy?” Damian asked. He knew that was a big thing with couples, being happy. Grayson and Gordon were always happy, Kori and Harper too, but he also knew that not all couples were happy; like his mother and father.

“We work at it, but yes,” she said.

“Then I am pleased for you,” he decided.

“Really?” Raven asked skeptically.

“You are perhaps my dearest friend, aside from Jon, but he’s an imbecile, I find Todd to be tolerable, a simpleton, but tolerable,” Damian decided. Truthfully he though Todd to be exceedingly resourceful and cunning but there was no way he was ever going to say that; he’d sooner chop his tongue out than say that.

“And what am I?” Raven asked, her monotone was amused.

“You are actually intelligent, I find your company most enjoyable,” he assured her as they walked onto the commuter train.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Raven said.

“What are you studying,” he asked and he spent the next fourty-five minutes talking to Raven about literature. She said Todd loved it, Damian found that easy to believe since Todd’s old room was crammed full of books. It was only as they neared the Manor that Raven seemed nervous until he pressed in the code for the gate; having not taken a bike but rather the subway when he’d ditched school the other day.

“Master Damian, most irresponsible of you to run off like that, from school no less,” Pennyworth scolded upon opening the door. Damian internally winced; he hated it the most when Pennyworth guilted him about this. “Good afternoon to you, Miss Raven.”

“It’s nice to see you Alfred, now I should be…,” Raven started.

“Master Bruce, Miss Gordon, and Master Dick are awaiting you and Master Damian in the study,” Pennyworth interrupted.

“…going. Fuck,” Raven sighed in defeat.

“That is no way for a lady to speak, Miss Raven,” Alfred stated.

“I’m sure by now all of you have figured out who I am living with so you can blame him for my bad language and bad habits,” Raven muttered as Damian and she walked through the Manor for his father’s study. It was funny to see the Titan’s indomitable Raven brought down by Pennyworth, normally Raven was like Pennyworth on the Titans, she managed to knock them all down and have manners. Grayson may have been the mother hen of the Titans, but Raven was the parent, and she wielded her power over them how Pennyworth wielded his, with an iron fist and class. Damian noticed how everyone was just outside the study but Raven glared at them and they scattered; not Cain though, Cain held her grown until they were in the study.

“Father, Grayson, Gordon,” Damian greeted.

“Morning,” Raven acknowledged.

“Damian, Raven,” his father started but Grayson cut him off.

~~~*~*~*~~~

“When were you going to tell us about Jason!? Didn’t you think we had the right to know about you and him!? And seriously Rae! How irresponsible are you that you just let him do whatever the hell he wants even though he’s dating a Titan!? Just wait until Vic finds out about this!” Dick started and Damian opened his mouth to counter when she cut them all off. She had always expected this but dealing with it without Jason there to add fuel to the proverbial fire was something she hadn’t expected. So she’d cut all of the questions off and explain before Dick was raving mad and scared.

“I did not tell you about Jason because he asked me not to, and I am his friend first, and if any of you had asked me not to tell Batman something I wouldn’t breath a word of it. Yes, I do think you had a right to know about him, not about us because that is not your business unless he wants it to be your business. And when the hell has anyone ever been able to make Jason do anything!? Controlling him or demanding anything of him is impossible! It’s like trying to control a hurricane! He’s going to do whatever he deems necessary to get his jobs done and you can either stand by that or get out of his way. I am unable to reign him in, on anything, from renovating the bathroom to charging into a warehouse of goons with guns, explosives, and outnumber him fifty to one, head first than you were! It’s preposterous to think I could or that I would!

“Also, no one knew we were dating aside from Victor, so go ahead and have that lovely chat with Vic, he’ll be happy to finally have someone to bitch about Jason to, finally, so our dating doesn’t affect the Titan’s image. Also, Victor approved, just so you know, Jason even asked him permission to date me, which is very sweet; and unnecessary, but sweet all the same and while Victor does not always like Jason, he trusts him, which should tell you a lot,” Raven said evenly.

“Jason T. Peters,” Barbra started and Raven sighed.

“He wanted to be legitimate for a change, Vic and I helped him set that identity up, with back long and papers to prove him as alive, the same time I arranged my own official identity,” Raven sighed.

“I would like a moment with Raven, alone,” Bruce said.

“Father!” Damian protested.

“Very well,” Raven nodded and she watched as the other three occupants left, she saw Alfred shut the doors behind them and she sighed as she looked into the sharp blue eyes of Bruce Wayne. They made her feel as if she were staring into the eyes of a dangerous predator, a man who could easily cut her down and destroy her and walk away as if it were nothing. Jason had this very look in his eyes too, so she held her ground.

“How is he?” Bruce asked softly. The question threw her off guard as she blinked impassively at him before carefully answering him.

“He has good days and bad days,” she admitted. She wasn’t going to lie to her boyfriend’s father.

“Is he… happy?”

“He’s very happy, especially when he’s got free range to rip apart our apartment and renovate it how he wants,” Raven admitted. Projects kept Jason calm, having things to tinker with or do with his hands kept him calm, and busy. “He’s decided to gut our bathroom, and he’s probably started on that while I came here with Damian.”

“Really?” Bruce asked, looking and acting impassive but she felt his amusement rolling off him.

“Yes, it took him four months to do the kitchen, he worked on it around jobs, it’s a good thing I do not cook else I’d have gone mad and murdered him for the mess he left,” Raven said with a bit of a smile.

“I do not approve of you keeping the relationship a secret,” Bruce said sternly.

“I know,” she acknowledged.

“And I do not approve of my son dating an interdimensional demon’s daughter,” Bruce continued.

She nodded at that one; remembering the fights Dick and Bruce had about meta-humans when Dick had been dating Kori.

“I know,” she admitted softly. “Jason even knows you don’t approve and how you feel about relationships between your sons and metas, and I’m certain that in the beginning of this relationship he was hanging around me as an act of defiance to you and what you stand for. But understand this, Bruce, while I adore all of your sons and daughters, and consider them dear friends who I would do just about anything for, I love Jason and I will do anything for him. He doesn’t ask for much, he’s been quiet about what he wants in this relationship, and he’s been good to me, but should he ever ask anything of me I will do everything I can to give it to him. I am not here to seek your approval, for I do not need it. I came here today to tell you that I love your son and that I am trying to bring Jason home to you and your family. He needs you, he doesn’t act like it and he doesn’t ever say anything about it, but he misses you, all of you, he just doesn’t want to let you down.”

“Could you possibly get him to come to the Manor for a dinner?” Bruce asked her.

“No, but send Alfred over, he’ll do anything Alfred asks,” Raven stated. Bruce’s lips quirked a bit and she smiled at him.

“He’s a good man Bruce, and you might not like how he does the job, and you will probably never agree on how to go about the job, but he’s a good man. And he’s been trying to stick to your no killing rule as a way to appease you, if you can see he’s trying, I’m certain he’ll see you trying and he’ll come home,” Raven said.

“I see.”

“Damian was a delightful guest, he’s growing into a fine young man, now I have to go home and make certain you son hasn’t destroyed the apartment with his starting of renovations on the bathroom, he likes gutting the rooms the most,” Raven sighed.

“Thank you Raven,” Bruce said as she reached the doors. She paused before she would leave.

“A word of advice, don’t crowd him, he’ll bolt if he’s crowded,” Raven warned and then she walked out of the study. She ignored the gaggle of Wayne children as she made her way out the Manor.

“You should stop by Alfred, he might come to a dinner if you invite him,” Raven mused as she reached the front door.

“I will take that under advisement, Miss Raven,” Alfred mused. “I have called you a cab to the station.”

“Thank you,” Raven smiled as she left the Manor and got in the cab. So… that wasn’t what she was expecting. Now she was hoping her apartment was in one piece when she returned home. She knew Jason well enough to know he was agitated and his agitation lead to three things: trouble or chain smoking or destroying something. She was betting all three to have occurred in her absence.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Bruce sighed, he’d never been particularly good at being a father for Jason. It was only after Jason’s death that he realized Jason had needed a father and not Batman.

Now, his second son was twenty-five, and dating a demon who loved him. It was baffling to Bruce, he did not like the idea of his sons dating meta-humans for the simple fact of he didn’t want them hurt or killed. But the young empath hadn’t seemed to care about his opinion on the matter before she had cut down every argument he had to get her away from his son and walked away. Now he was leaning against his desk startled at the audacity of the young woman and bemused at how she had stood by his son.

“Father,” he looked at Damian then. “I think you would like to see these,” Damian presented his sketchbook then and Bruce opened it.

He smirked at the first image of Raven and Jason in a kitchen, at first glance they were strangers who never interacted. The second image was of a meal, Raven whacking Jason upside the back of his head, and Damian had even drawn himself in the image. Which was an amusing first. The third image was of Raven and Jason, they were doing the dishes. But it was the final image which had Bruce just staring blankly at his son’s drawing.

The demoness was curled up in his son’s lap, and Jason looked like he was in heaven. They were both asleep and Damian’s drawing depicted the city outside the window.

“Raven is my friend, but she makes Todd happy, and he makes her happy,” Damian said coldly. “Raven said they work at their relationship.”

“Damian it’s more complicated than that,” Bruce sighed.

“Well, if these drawings are anything to go by I’d say Jason’s happy,” Dick suddenly announced and Bruce had to agree. Damian only drew reality so these drawings were as good as photos, and they depicted a happy Jason. A Jason that Bruce had thought dead and buried, and yet he was sitting right there with a small woman and a phantom smile on his lips.

“That one is for us,” Dick decided as he plucked the sketchbook out of his hands. Damian didn’t even protest when Dick tore out the last drawing. “There, the rest you can use for school; stalker. I’m going to make a copy of this and send it to Vic and Raven.”

Bruce watched as his eldest walked out with his fiancé and he looked at his youngest then.

“Raven’s family now father, she’s even a bird,” Damian smirked.

“What?”

“Jason calls her little bird, she’s family now,” Damian decided. Bruce was just dumbstruck and then he smiled; all the kids had nicknamed themselves over the years with bird being a part of the name, it was a part of the family. Well, he could learn to tolerate it if the rest accepted it.

And just maybe Raven would lure his wayward son back home.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason looked up when his girlfriend walked into the apartment, he was working on ordering a dumpster and shoot for his gut job, and reflexively he smiled in relief at her arrival.

“Tomorrow’s great,” he agreed and hung up before she walked up to him to stand toe to toe, her head tilted back and he saw her stubbornness.

“Your family is a pain in the ass!” she stated flatly. He laughed then.

“Bruce doesn’t approve of our relationship, I get he doesn’t like metas, and a demon is probably way worse in his book, Dick was raving but happy for you, and the rest of them are nosey and evesdropped the entire time!” she snapped.

“You knew this,” Jason pointed out as he wrapped an arm around her.

“I know, I just… I was not expecting the bathroom to be still in one piece,” she trailed off as she stared at it.

“I called Victor he’s coming over to help me with the heavy shit, but he’s also got a few design plans,” Jason said.

“Huh, I’m just relieved to see it in one piece,” Raven admitted. “Oh, and you should know Bruce is likely to be sending Alfred here to drag you to a family dinner.”

“What?”

“You’re going,” Raven dismissed as she turned in on him and levitated so she was eye level with him.

“I am?”

“Yes, and I’ll wear that thing, the black one,” she promised. He lifted his brows in interest then.

“The lace or the silk?”

“The silk? I can even wear red if you prefer,” she promised.

“You don’t own a red one,” he pointed out.

“No I don’t, but Kori wants to go shopping later this week to catch up and I agreed,” she said as her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“In that case, I’ll consider it,” he murmured as he slowly started back her into a wall, hooking her legs around his waist.

“You’re going,” she said firmly.

“Maybe,” he agreed as he leaned forward.

“Jason?”

“Bat family does not get to fuck up the fact I have been deprived of sex for three and a half months, and a few hours does not make up for being away,” he said seriously.

“Is sex all you think about!?” she asked when his mouth was a breath away.

“No, but it’s a good portion of what I’ve been thinking about lately,” he smiled. “That and renovating the bathroom, upping the security so the Bats can’t just waltz in, and if I could possibly steal the batmobile as retribute for the demon spawn stalking me home and Oracle hacking surrounding security to spy on me now. But mostly sex.”

“You’re impossible!” she sighed in exasperation.

“But you love me anyway,” he pointed out.

“I do,” she sighed and he kissed her hard. He loved her, he really did, that was his last thought before she kissed him back and all thoughts exploded into nothing.


	2. I Will Never Regret...

At exactly 0123 on April 24th she woke to it, a siren's call of emotions to her inner demon which had her looking at the city lights shining in her window.

Quietly Raven slipped on a hoodie and Jeans as she picked up her slippers and teleported to the city as her empathy sang to her of the emotions all but summoning her inner demon forth as she walked down the quiet docks of San Francisco. She turned the corner and she felt the owner of the emotions up there, her innerdemon was purring at the tortured, strong, hurricane of emotions that she felt swirling above her. hesitantly, because the Titan and the human in her were cautious, she slipped through the shadows and walked into the room where she sensed the emotions of another demon.

What she walked into was carnage, and a tall, trembling young man breathing raggedly, his eyes a bright glowing green with a white streak of hair stubbornly flopping in his face. Her breath hitched as she recognized him and he turned on her, a gun level for her hear, but Raven didn't flinch as she walked forth.

For the first time in her memorable life she used her empathy on another soul without their permission as she robbed him of the madness and let her calm and her center sooth him until she reached for his wrist.

He flinched, but Raven didn't let go as she continued walking forward until she was toe to toe with this incredibly tall, lean, young man.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked monotonously as she struggled to control the raging emotions she had taken from him.

"Sunshine…" he whispered.

Slowly she nodded, accepting the annoying name he'd given her the first time she'd ever crossed his path.

"I'm here to help you," she said and she drudged up the half forgotten name of a boy she'd only seen in one photo that was in Dick's case of important things that Ding Dong Daddy had stolen. "Jason, I'm here to help you, release the gun."

It clattered on the ground and the young, blood covered man shook as he stared at her with wide eyes which were slowly fading from a glowing green to the aquamarine of the photo she had once seen.

"It's been a long time since anyone's called me that," he whispered.

"Jason, your name is Jason," she said and slowly he relaxed.

"Here to arrest me, sunshine?" he whispered.

"No, I'm here to help you Jason."

"Help me?"

"Yes, help," she replied softly and released his wrist only for him to glare at her.

"No one can help me, sunshine, didn't you know, I even scare the Queen of Assassins herself, I'm worse than a monster and you can't save me," he smiled cruelly and Raven tilted her head to the side.

"I'm not here to save you Jason," she said icily. "I'm here to help you, and I'm a demon so no monster scares me."

"You'll regret it, sunshine, everyone who tries to help me regrets it." He sounded so sure of that and tired that it broke the human piece of her heart, her inner demon was raging about his prowess and bloodlust which could match her own. However, Raven, merely looked at the broken man who was covered in other's blood and looked lost, tired, and hurt.

"Let me decide if I'll regret this or not," she murmured as she offered him her hand. "I only offer you help, and sanctuary Jason."

"Going to tell Bats or Bird Brains on me?" he hissed.

"No."

"And what are you going to do to me, sunshine?" he growled.

"Nothing, I'm offering you help, a hot shower, a warm meal, and a bed, Jason, and we'll take it from there." That was the best she could offer right now, she was offering him her room, a place she didn't want anyone to help him.

"And why would you help me?" he asked softly, brokenly.

"Because, you're my best friend's brother, because I know what is slowly destroying you, and I know what it's like to be the monster, I do not offer this out of a wish to deceive you or to destroy you, I offer you help not out of pity, I am offering help and sanctuary out of compassion Jason," she answered.

Slowly his own hand reached for her offered hand and she wrapped the shadows around them as they walked rematerialized in her bathroom. Jason flinched as she turned on the light, she sensed no injury or pain on him so she turned to leave. "Shower, I'll see if I can get some of Dick's things for you to wear and food."

Jason said nothing but she heard the shower start and she walked out of her room as she stopped in the hall and closed her eyes.

What was she doing, Raven? Her inner heart screamed.

There was no logic to bringing him here, there was no reason to help him, she should arrest him and hand him over to SFPD and be done with it. But as she looked back at her room she sensed Jason overwhelming exhaustion, sadness and loneliness. She didn't know what he'd been through, all she knew was he had been dropped in the Pit and it was slowly killing who he was. Raven would help him, she had to help him, she couldn't let him be in this agony and torment. Standing from the wall she walked to Dick's room and slipped through the shadows to collect some of Dick's clothes and then she slipped to the kitchen where she made toast before opening a portal to her room. Walking to her private bathroom door she lightly knocked on it.

"I have a few things that might fit you," she called out and cracked the door open as she levitated them to the bathroom counter and she sat on her bed as she waited for him. Jason appeared in the pants, which were short on him, but not the shirt.

"Uh…" he said as he toweled off his hair.

"It appears you are larger than Dick," she muttered and frowned. She'd deal with getting him clothes tomorrow.

"In almost every way sunshine," he cheekily replied which had her giving him a bland look before she handed him the toast.

"You will take the bed, I have a chair," she said as she stood up and slipped into her closet to again pull on her pajamas, pulling on a pair of sweats to her usual bed ensemble of man's too big t-shirt and cotton panties before she walked out armed with two heavy fleece blankets, and her extra pillows, she traded her bed pillows for. Jason was sound asleep on her bed, he had two knives on her night stand and when she was levitating the pillow up she saw he'd slipped a dagger under it before she gave him her spare pillow.

Curling up in her reading chair; a chair she frequently slept in she sighed.

She couldn't regret this.

She'd never regret this.

Jason grumbled in his sleep as he shifted and she sighed as she situated herself before she went to turn off the lights.

"Leave a light on, please," he whispered brokenly, so she left the bathroom light on as she twisted in her chair to be comfortable.

"Jason," she whispered.

No response.

"I will never regret helping you. No matter what is to come of this decision," she avowed as she surrendered to her exhaustion and decided that helping Jason was for the greater good in the long run, and she could do this. She could and would be his friend, and help him.

Raven wasn't here to save him.

She would however, help him.

And she'd never regret helping him. Of that she was certain.


	3. Drip, Drip, Drip

Jason hated the bathroom of his apartment, he really, really hated it. It was like the 80's had thrown up on the 30's, and no one since had bothered to change that. Which was why he was trying to figure out how to drive his live in girlfriend insane enough with the ugly bathroom as he was, so she'd let him do the renovations he wanted.

For four years he'd been buy, legally revamping, and subletting apartments, four years of it! Raven had moved to New York City for school and he'd sort of drifted after her. And in those four years he'd gotten really good at redesigning, restoring, and working on the renovations of apartments. He liked the work too. But he was seeing the error in getting Raven to move in with him before he renovated the bathroom.

That was nearly two years ago, and now he was sitting in the door frame of his hideous bathroom of his otherwise nice apartment trying to figure out how to get Raven let him get away with renovating it. He'd have to be sneaky and underhanded about whatever it was he did, mostly because Raven had firmly held against him renovating the bathroom and even gone all demon on him not to.

"What are you doing?" his girlfriend asked which had him turning to look at her as she walked in, dropping her school bag, her coat and looking in the bathroom.

"Thinking," he mused as he stood up to tower over her. The amazing thing to him, was even after knowing her, really getting to know her, was that she was always at ease with him. Nothing he said or did could ever phase Raven.

"Uh-huh, well if it's about renovating that bathroom forget it, finish the kitchen then we'll talk," she said.

"I'm just waiting for the right fridge, and it's being delivered tomorrow, then the kitchen is as good as new and you know it," he stated.

"Jason, I will believe that when the fridge is plugged in, and running, you've been saying it's done I just need 'blank' and it's as good as new for months now," she mused.

"Really?"

"Yes," she said flatly which had him shrugging and kissing her head. It wasn't like Raven actually cooked, so she couldn't complain.

"How was school little bird?" he asked as he watched her move about the kitchen, the mini fridge was going to the building basement once he got his fridge installed and since he owned the fucking building there'd be no bitching about where he put that fucking mini fridge.

"Long," she sighed and sat at the island.

"That bad?" he asked.

"Yeah, which case?" she asked and he looked at the file.

"The smuggling ring in Solvakia, I'm heading over there after I get the fridge, breaking it all apart," he said as he picked a beer out of the mini fridge and smirked as an idea hit him in the head for how to get Raven to hate the bathroom as much as him. He'd have to work on it tonight while she was sound asleep.

"Mmm, whatever your planning you can stop Jason," she said as she got up for her whistling kettle.

"What? What makes you think I'm planning something?" he asked.

"Empath and you got that devious 'I'm about to commit every sin possible' look in your eyes, so stop," she warned. He smiled.

"I'm planning nothing, little bird," he promised.

"I'll believe that when I believe you'll take up the cloth and be a Catholic priest," she said as she sat down with him.

"Never know, love," he shrugged. "Anything is possible."

"You'd last an hour tops before you got bored and found trouble."

"Why do you always say that I'll find trouble? Trouble just usually follows me, I think it has my GPS coordinates on hand," he defended.

"I could believe that," she smiled and he set the beer on the island counter. "Are you going to miss me, little bird?" he murmured.

"Depends, Red, will I get my kitchen back if I say yes?" she asked.

"I don't know, will you mean it?" he smiled.

"Maybe a little," she smiled slightly as he leaned over her.

"A little?" he murmured as he kissed her, and he kissed her hard as he pulled her hips close as her legs wrapped around his hips. Her arms wrapped around him, tea forgotten on the counter as he kissed that dark flavor which was uniquely Raven. Her powers moved her tea and his beer to the coffee table and he tugged on her shirt. She gasped when he kissed her again and shoved the sports bra aside.

He felt as her teeth tug his lower lip.

"Maybe a lot," she amended in a whisper as he pulled away.

"Good," he smiled and continued discarding her clothes.

It was after they finally made it to the bedroom and Raven was exhausted into sleep that he slipped out of their bed and picked up a wrench as he tiptoed to the bathroom and checked on Raven again. She didn't move, he slipped into the shower then and quietly broke the showerhead.

Drip.

He smirked and slipped out to discard the evidence and put his wrench away.

Drip.

Oh this was going to drive her nuts while he was gone! Biting his lip he picked up their clothes; or what remained and dumbed them in a pile in the corner of their room for later assessment in the morning before slipping into bed beside her and kissing her temple.

Raven muttered something as she buried her face in her pillow and he wondered how it was he'd managed to get her. He pulled her close as he curled around her and thanked whatever deity there was for giving him a break with Raven.

Drip.

Okay, so maybe breaking his shower wasn't the wisest of moves, he was more easily irritated than Raven after all.

"You're fixing the shower before you go," she muttered sleepily.

"The shower's fine," he countered.

"Nice try, Jay, no sex until the shower's fixed," she yawned and rolled into his chest.

"That's cheating," he grumbled.

"You broke it, you fix it," was the sleepy argument.

Drip.

Fine, he'd fix the fucking shower. He'd just have to figure out how to get around her to tear apart that God aweful bathroom!

Drip.

"Jason," she breathed.

"Hm," he hummed.

"Fix it now or I'm sleeping on the couch."

He groaned as he got out of bed to get the discarded evidence.

"I will get rid of this bathroom," he called to her.

"Sure," she agreed.

"I'm serious Raven," he informed her as he dropped the wrench on his nightstand.

"Jason, I love you, but you're not gutting the only bathroom in this apartment and leaving," she yawned and he pulled her onto his chest.

"We'll see, honey, we'll see," he warned.

"Go to sleep," she ordered as she burrowed into his chest and he sighed.

Drip.

"Jason?" the irritated growl warned him that there was a coming war.

"I fixed the damn shower!"

Drip.

"Then what's dripping?" she asked sitting up and padding into the bathroom naked, he just lay there marveling at the sight.

"Did you sabotage the sink too?" she poked her messy head out of the door then.

"Nope," he honestly admitted.

"It's dripping Jason," she sighed.

"So… I can gut this bathroom, right?" he asked.

" _ **NO!**_ " she hissed as she did something and reappeared to crawl into their bed.

Drip.

"We'll discuss it when you get back," she muttered and a pillow was dragged over her head. He grinned in triumph before he pulled her back into him and curled up around her. Raven tucked her cold feet under his leg, he hissed as he tightened his arms on her.

"You're maddening, Jason," she whispered in her sleep.

"But you love me anyway," he murmured awake as he just listened to the faucet drip and watched her sleep. He woke to a buzz on the intercom of his apartment. And groaned as he got up to get his fridge.


	4. Strangers

Who was the weird zombie Jason Todd? And how the hell was she going to hide him when she was now going to have to deal with not one, not two, but THREE nosey bats living in the Tower. Raven didn't know and she found herself on week three of hiding Jason sitting in her room bouncing her knee, biting her thumb as she thought this over. It wasn't like she could just toss Jason out on the street, he wasn't a puppy, and he wasn't some harmless little kitten, however he was a human being and he had some really bad things hiding in his closet which seemed to weigh on him at times.

The rest of the time he was maddening! She'd never met a more infuriating creature than him.

Not even Dick and Gar could drive her as insane as Jason did. And right now she was thinking of what to do with him as he lay out on her floor reading and his scars standing out in the afternoon sunlight since he didn't have another shirt.

It kind of made her wonder who he was.

But then she remembered the Lazarus pit and Raven really didn't want to know who he was.

Still, who was he? Really?

Was he the façade of Red X? Red Hood? Robin? Jason Todd? Or someone else entirely. She shook her head of these thoughts and she sighed as she dragged her hands through her hair.

"What is it?" he suddenly tensed, and she felt his flight response kicking in and she relaxed as she stared passively at him. Jason was ready to bolt, he was scare, he was wary of her, and he was ready to run. And for as maddening of a mystery as he was, she didn't want him to run alone. She did knew what being scared and alone was like and she wouldn't wish that on him.

"Your brothers, Dick, Tim, and Damian are officially moving into this Tower, and that means I've got to figure out what to do with you," she said pointedly.

"Let me go…?" he suggested.

"You're not a prisoner here, Jason, as I've proven on numerous occasions, you're free to go. You just haven't left, and as your… whatever this is, I'm now trying to look out for you," Raven said. She wasn't willing to call them friends, but she wasn't willing to say they were acquantiences either; for Azar's sake she had seen him naked!

"I…" he started.

"You don't want to, that's fine, but you cannot live here with three nosey bats if you want to remain secret," she warned.

He frowned and sighed.

"I've got it!" she snapped her fingers and hopped up. "Do you trust me?"

"Uh…"

"I'll take that as a yes," she said and hurried out of there as fast as she could before he could argue with her. she lightly knocked on Victor's door.

"Rae!?" he appeared then looking shocked.

"Hey Vic, can I borrow you for a minute, I just… come on!" she dragged him along to her room and opened the door, Jason wasn't in sight but that was alright, she could feel him hiding overhead.

"I've got a secret, and I need you to trust me and keep it," she said carefully.

"What is it Rae?"

"You have to prmise come pain of death you will not breath a word of this to anyone, no digital trail either, and you won't freak out," she said pointedly enough for Jason's ears.

"Yeah, yeah, I promise, now what is this about?" he sighed.

"Jason," she called out and the young man dropped from her ceiling, Victor jumped and Jason looked the other man over. "Victor, meet Jason Todd, Jason, meet Victor Stone. Vic, I need papers."

"For WHAT!? And Isn't He Supposed To Be Dead!" Victor gasped.

"We'll discuss that issue later, papers Vic," she said firmly.

"I'm allergic to death," Jason said wryly.

"Uh… yeah, sure," Victor nodded dumbly. Rae, how are you going to hide this from Bats?" he asked her.

"Well that's why I need the papers, I'd like the name Angelia Roth," she said. It was her mother's earth name, not that anyone knew that. "Jason, name?"

"Huh… Jason… Jason Peters," he said.

"Excellent, I'm moving out of the Tower Cy," she smiled sweetly.

"But…" Victor gaped.

"Thanks Vic!" she said and the giant merely nodded as he left and Raven turned on Jason. "Jason Peters, I'm your roommate, Angelia Roth," she said.

"Wait…? What?" he blinked.

"You can keep Red Hood and Red X, I'm not your warden, but you're not leaving, I can't keep you here unless you like hiding under the bed," she sighed.

"You're…"

"I've lived with you for the last three weeks Jason, I'm sure I can handle being your roommate," she dismissed.

"Huh."

"Glad you see it my way," she nodded and walked back to her bed to meditate. She wasn't kicking him out. she wasn't capable of that. But he wasn't leaving and this was her compromise so she didn't have to deal with nosey bats. It would be for the best.

She cracked her eye open at him looking confused.

"What?"

"You're… helping me, again."

"Yes, I offered you help and you have my help. But I'm going to ask for things in exchange Jason," she warned. She would build up a trust system with him. that would work. Alright, she wasn't certain that'd work, but she was certain that it was a wise move.

"What sort of things?" he asked carefully.

"Like you put the seat down on the toilet, help with the cleaning, we're roommates, I'm not your maid," she warned carefully.

"Okay, anything else?"

"Yes, you're not going to interfere with my Titans work and I won't interfere with whatever it is you do," she promised. "I'm offering to be your friend Jason and as I don't have many of them, and I know you don't either I think you'd better take the offer."

"Who are you?" he blinked.

"Who are you?" she countered and he had a lost look then. Who was Jason Todd? Raven didn't know, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.


	5. Pastry Chef

Alright, so he and Raven being roommates had last a New York minute, but hell, he'd helped her pick the apartment solely for the kitchen! So he felt absolutely no shame about breaking in here; with his tools instead of his key, and setting up shop for some Thanksgiving baking for the orphanage four blocks down. Nope, he didn't care how this appeared as he stood in Raven's joke gift to him and he strenuously worked over every recipe he knew as he filled the apartment with the scent of baking.

Raven was out right now, and he was fine with that, he didn't need the company, he just might like hers'. They were sort of friends, even after she moved out of the Tower for him so he could hide away from dickhead and the rest of the morons.

There was a clanging of keys at the door and he looked up mid-pour as Raven walked in, her black hoodie, and jeans were slightly damp from the rain and both of them just blinked.

"Well, pink really is your color," she stated with a straight face, his lips twitched.

"And a lovely shade it is, brinks out my insanity," he mused. She chuckled as she walked to the counter, kicked her door shut and sat at the bar as she looked through the mail.

"I see you used the main entrance," she said blandly.

"I did," he grinned.

"The super is going to get tired of fixing the window, Jason, and you have a key," she pointed out blandly.

"But what's the fun in that?" he demanded.

"Not paying for a new latch on my window."

"You're no fun, little bird," he sighed.

"I'm not meant to be fun, and why have you converted my kitchen into a bakery shop?" she asked and he looked up from his beignets then.

"Well, it's Thanksgiving tomorrow," he pointed out.

"I'm well aware, Kori hasn't ceased her preparations for tomorrow," she informed him.

"Well, there's an orphanage I swing by from time to time and a nun said there would be no thanksgiving there, and that's just a crime in and of itself," he said.

"Agreed," she nodded.

"So I thought to bring Thanksgiving to them, this is just the bakery stuff, I got three turkeys for deep frying tomorrow, and one for oven baking, and everything I needed to make everything else for Thanksgiving," he grinned. He fucking loved cooking.

"Very thoughtful, I can help you transport it," she said.

"I thought you had Titan's Thanksgiving," he replied blandly.

"I do but I have time for this, and I think you're going to need the help," she mused.

"Uh… sure," he shrugged.

"You are a very good cook, Jason, why not pursue it?" she asked and he looked over at her. Raven was well apprised of the going-ons in his life and he trusted her, which was why she knew he was retired from being Red X right now. After the thing in April he'd freaked himself out and he didn't know if he could handle another episode like that. So he wasn't going to chance it, because next time Raven might not be the one to come, but rather dickhead and the gang. Though Cyborg knew about him, and Jason was slowly coming to like the other, however he didn't trust the giant.

"Because… I don't know," he shrugged.

"That's not an answer, Jason," she said evenly.

"Living people should do this, I'm not… supposed to be living, I don't know, it just… it feels wrong to want… normal," he said uncertainly. He didn't know how else to put it, he didn't belong here, he didn't belong in the land of the living, and he did not deserve normal at all because he wasn't supposed to be here.

"You're alive Jason," Raven calmly informed him. "You deserve to live."

"As what!?" he demanded.

"As whatever you please, as a pastry chef if you want, you have just as much right to be here as Dick, or Tim, or Damian, or Stephanie, or Bruce," she said.

"Don't use my family as a reason!" he hissed.

"I'm not, I'm merely pointing out that you are alive, Jason, and you should live your life as you please."

"And if I want to be Red Hood?" he demanded sharply. Because God knew he missed that, he might have freaked himself out with the black out killing, but he missed it. He missed having… having a purpose.

"Then be Red Hood," Raven said. His head snapped over to her and he just stared at, possibly, his only friend in the world as she delicately ate a croissant and looked at him with those smoky eyes. "I cannot and will not condemn you for seeking something out that you're good at, and Jason, despite what the world thought, Red Hood did a lot of good. A lot of bad too, but you did a lot of good. You're a good man. You're here the day before Thanksgiving making a feast for an orphanage, no one else I know is."

"You…" he started.

"I'm going to New York, next fall, I've been accepted into a school there as Rachel Roth, be Red Hood, Jason, be you," she smiled and he softened. This was why she was perhaps his best friend, she was just… accepting.

"Thanks little bird," he said softly.

"Of course, but I'm serious about you being a chef, you'd make a fortune and have your pick of restaurants," she mused as she ate the croissant.

"Nah, and stop eating it! It needs to be here for tomorrow!" he snapped.

"It's chocolate Jason, and I'm starving and my place smells like a bakery, I can't eat it all," she countered.

"I can make dinner while I'm here," he said blandly.

"Would you? can you make the thing, with the sauce you know, and rice!" she perked up.

"You're a demanding little demon, but yes, I can, I even bought the shit to make it," he sighed.

"You're the best!"

"You're just friends with me so I feed you."

"But of course, you're friends with me for the books."

"But of course, little bird."


	6. No Entry

After a very long day wandering New York City, looking over his properties and he was thinking about the logic of moving again now that the bats had found him. It wasn't as if he didn't have places to go, the trick would be getting Raven to move with him. His girlfriend was a homebody if he ever met one. Not that she wouldn't travel, and it wasn't like she was domestic (he did all the cooking and the cleaning in this relationship), but Raven centered her existence around having a place to call home. Not that he blamed her, he kind of did the same thing, and he had just officiated the plans for the bathroom.

Which was another think he'd been running around doing, collecting needed supplies after having officiated it.

Now it was night, he had everything set up for the bathroom and he was on his block as the rain started. Life was pretty good for him right now, minus the Bats knowing where he lived. Pulling out his keys he walked into his apartment complex. He jogged up to the fourth floor; yes, he'd gotten apartment 4C as a joke for himself on C-4, one of his favorite tools. He'd even managed to paint the door bright red and Raven not blast him. Pulling his keys, he unlocked his place and saw Raven sleeping on the couch, her book on her chest and she didn't look like she'd moved. He smirked a bit, after dealing with his family four days earlier he was sure she was exhausted. Carefully he scooped up his girlfriend, she grumbled something.

"Getting heavy, little bird," he teased and heard her mutter something in Azarathian as cutlery rattled a bit.

"Kay, kay, light as a little feather," he mused as he got her to their room and put her on the bed as he walked out. There was a tap on his window which had him looking up thinking it was a bird and he just about jumped out of his skin seeing Dick there.

"Jesus!" he yelped as he then composed himself and scowled as he stalked to the window and yanked it open.

"What?" he growled.

"Can I come in?" Dick smiled.

"Fuck no! What do you want and go? This is not a stop for Bats!" he snapped.

"Ah, come on little wing! It's crappy out here," Dick pointed out and Jason frowned as he looked at the rain and his sopping wet brother.

"No."

He slammed the window shut and walked to his kitchen as he purposely pulled out a kettle and tea.

There was a persistent tapping on his window but Jason opted to ignore it when his phone rang.

"What?" he answered.

"What The Hell Kind Of Locks Are These!?" Dick demanded.

"Bat proof, seriously Dickhead, what do you want?" Jason scowled as he looked at the window where Dick was trying to jimmy the lock on his window.

"We seriously need to talk!"

"No, we don't!" Jason snapped and hung up as he purposely stalked over to the window and looked straight in the eye and took apart his phone then walked back to the kitchen. There was a persistent rapping on his window and after about ten minutes of it Jason surrendered to the fact he wouldn't get any fucking peace in his own home as he stalked to the bathroom, grabbed towels, checked on Raven before he stalked back to the window and opened it.

"What is so fucking important you can't email it!?" Jason hissed as his brother clambered into his apartment and he slammed the window shut on the storm.

"Thanks Jaybird, and I'm here because I was on my way to Blüdhaven and it started pouring so I thought to stop by here and stay dry."

"This isn't a fucking motel or halfway house for traveling bats!" he snapped as he walked back to his room and grabbed dry clothes for his idiot brother and threw them at Dick's head.

"Ah, but you love us!" Dick mused.

"I like Cass and Stephanie and they're about it," Jason snapped. The girls weren't so bad to work with, he and Barbara still clashed, but Cass and Steph were cool, as was the new chicks Harper and what's her face with the powers. He'd get her name eventually.

"So… you and Raven, it's real?" Dick said now dressed in dray clothes, Jason collected the wet stuff and dropped it in his dryer. Jason looked over at what Dick was looking at, it was of the few photos of him and Raven, and it was taken in Coronado, San Diego, California on a vacation he had taken with her about a year ago. He'd even splurged and they'd stayed at the Del Coronado.

"Yes, and off limits Dickhead," Jason warned as he peeked in on Raven who was still sound asleep before he shut the door completely.

"Why are you really here, Dick, I know about ten routes between Gotham and Blüdhaven that are faster and don't get you tangled here," Jason said as he walked to the kitchen and pulled out some of the cookies he'd made earlier for a snack.

"I just swung by to check up on my little brother, can't I do that, especially since Alfred didn't get him to come to Sunday dinner," Dick smiled. "Oh, are these the lemon things of Alfie's?"

"Yes, and no, I didn't go to dinner because I am renovating my bathroom after much sabotage needed to get Raven to agree to even let me," Jason smirked, he was a bit proud of himself for lying to an empath and not getting her temper. Not that he'd ever boast about that. Never. Ever. He liked being on this side of the grave, thank you very much.

"Ah, can I see?" Dick asked.

"No! If you wake Raven I'll skin you alive for kicks," he warned lowly.

"Got it, no entry," Dick sighed. "So… you and Raven, three and a half years; Dami told us."

"Yup," he popped the 'p' to annoy Dick.

"How'd you two manage that?" Jason looked up seeing genuine interest on his elder brother's face which had Jason frowning as he stood up straight, leaving his sugar cookie in the tin.

"Why?" Jason asked.

"I just want to know, longest I lasted was two years and that was even being engaged for a year, before that fell apart, so what's the secret?" Dick demanded.

"First off, you fucked up with Kori, big time, and if you ever manage to shrink the ego and stop thinking with your dick instead of your head you might realize you were an idiot for fucking that up. And yes, I know all about it, Kori's a good friend of mine and Raven's, so I side with Kori. And two, none of your fucking business," Jason snapped.

"Jay, I'm not… I'm not asking to make fun of you, you are the first of us with a successful relationship, I actually want to know how you and Raven pulled it off," Dick said and Jason reluctantly looked over at Jason from the stove as he made warm milk for the cookies.

"She's my best friend," Jason answered.

"What?"

"Raven is my best friend, I don't lie to her about the important shit or the little shit, I don't try to be someone else and I don't force her to be someone else, I've also made it a point  _ **Not**_  to do everything you and Bruce and Tim do in a relationship," he said calmly. "It's really fucking simple, and complicated Dick. Lie to a girl, try to do the lone gunman thing for protection, and she's going to leave. And yeah, I've done stupid shit and Raven's yelled at me for it, and she's done stupid shit and I've yelled at her. But I don't cut her out Dick. It's really that simple."

"You two just, you don't seem to mesh," Dick said.

"Now that really isn't any of your fucking business Dickhead," Jason warned sharply. He and Raven worked because everything Bruce, Dick, and Tim were notorious for doing, he didn't do, he actually tried not to do that with Raven.

"Are you two happy?" Dick asked.

"Not always," Jason stated as he sat down. There were times they wanted to murder each other and the last real war they had was about something stupid, he'd left, and Raven had stayed with Victor as he ripped apart some crime organization. When they had both cooled down they had been adults about the problem, resolved the issue and moved on. No, he had no fucking clue what their war had been about, just that it was enough to have them wanting to throttle one another.

"Dick I don't know what magical fairy tale land you and the Bats live in, but relationships are work. You're not always going to be happy, and it's going to suck at times. But it's a relationship, it's work."

"Hadn't thought about that."

"Course not," Jason muttered. He really didn't call Dick 'Dickhead' just to annoy him, Dick and Bruce were notorious for thinking with their dicks instead of their heads when it came to relationships. Just look at how Bruce got the demon spawn for a kid.

"Jason?" Raven appeared, sleepy, rumbled and like a lost little bird as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, we got company, though I think I'm posting a sign on the window 'No Entry'," he informed her as she walked over and Dick smiled at her.

"Hey Rae," Dick grinned.

"Hey," Raven muttered as she clambered onto his lap.

"Midterms suck," she informed them promptly before she was sound asleep again and Jason just sighed. This was a peculiar habit of Raven's, and one he didn't mind but wasn't happy about revealing before his brother. Still, Jason dropped his arms around her to keep her still and looked pointedly at Dick.

"Not one word," Jason warned.

"I'm not saying anything," Dick avowed.

"Good, else I'd kick you back into the rain, the couch is yours, but I want you gone in the morning, and my apartment is not your stop between here and Blüdhaven, got it!?" Jason growled.

"Yup," Dick mimicked.

"Good, cookies go in the cupboard, do not destroy my place so it looks like yours or I'll track you down and murder you slowly and painfully in your sleep," Jason stated as he picked Raven up carefully and took her back to their room.

"Oh, and Dick, my room is off limits. Don't even think of snooping in here," Jason snapped.

"So I can snoop the rest of the apartment out."

"Touch anything and I will know," Jason stated as he kicked his door shut and put Raven back in bed.

"Stay," she mumbled.

"Not going anywhere little bird, just going to bed," he promised as his sleepy girlfriend conked out again. The other secret to their relationship that the Bats would never understand, was they were independent of one another, however, they also were a unit and wanted each other's company. Changing he fell onto his bed and looked Raven over carefully before he turned off the light and let sleep settle. Bats were not going to be welcomed in his relationship, but it appeared they would be crashing into his life.

* * *

Dick waited until he was sure neither Raven nor Jason were coming out of their room before he got up and started looking over the photos. The thing to understand with his being here, was Raven was one of his best friends, and Jason was his baby brother, he just… he wanted to make sure they weren't going to be hurt.

Looking over the shelves of records, books, and odd mementos that they had he could see they were close. Surprisingly he couldn't pick out what was Raven's and what was Jason's on the books or music, and he paused looking at the few photos of them they had. It was clearly a gift, he was betting Victor's, and they were scattered on the shelves.

There was a photo of Raven and Jason in a different apartment, boxes everywhere, and it looked like her place in San Francisco from five years ago when she had abruptly moved out. There was another photo of them, it was of them at an airport. There was a photo of Victor, Jason, and Raven at a game, Raven in her Mets gear, Jason in his Knights gear, and Victor wearing a Mets hat, all of them were smiling, it looked like a good time. There was a photo of them, which was clearly not staged, sound asleep in a park, books on their chests, neither seemed any the wiser to the photographer.

But the photo which really caught his attention was one of Raven and Jason, both with real smiles, at the beach, both with surf boards and wetsuits on, and a caption written in Cyborg's bold scrawl: 'Congrats on Three Years!'.

Dick smirked, Jason and Raven might be the two biggest loners ever, but it appeared this was solid and he didn't think he or the rest of the family would ever get to be a part of it really.


	7. Name on a Napkin

Raven was pissed, it was a shitty date!

Stalking to her new apartment she avowed to never attempt to date a friend of Dick's again! pompous ass! She slammed her apartment door shut as all her emotions lashed out with a fury she couldn't really contain. Jason bolted up from the couch.

"What the hell!?" he blinked and looked her over carefully. "Well, you look… nice," he observed.

"For nothing!" she snapped as she kicked off her shoes and walked over to the La-Z-y Boy Jason had bought her when they first moved here before he had run off. She Sighed as she fell in the chair and her head fell back as she groaned.

"That was the worst date in the history of dates!" she groaned.

"Oh, you had a date?" Jason asked, there was something in his emotions but her own anger over washed it.

"Yes, Dick said I should try it out," she muttered. "I don't see why, Gar and I flamed out so fast it wasn't even funny, and now this! I hate dating, I will die happy and single."

"It couldn't have been that bad?" Jason yawned as he stood up and grabbed a bottle of wine he had bought when he was living here as he poured her a glass; despite being underaged, and grabbed himself a beer before coming back.

"It was," she sighed as she accepted the glass and he sat on the couch again.

"How bad is bad?" he asked.

"Well first, this is one of Dick Grayson's prepschool friends he recently reconnected who's living in the bay area," Raven sighed.

"Ah, that should have been the first hint he was a douche," Jason mused.

"Shut it, you went to the same schools as Dick until you died," she pointed out.

"True, but I'm not a tool," Jason shrugged.

"No, just a bastard," she sighed.

"Damn straight," he cheered himself and sipped his beer.

"I went on the date, even had Kori help me buy the dress, and shoes, and tried to look pretty, and this asshole picks me up. Says 'Rachel, you are a doll, but you should be dressed up', jackass never told me where we were going!"

"You look nice," Jason said awkwardly.

"Thank you, but he then spends the next fifteen minutes of the drive talking about his ex, who's blonde, peppy, and a former cheerleader at Berkley," Raven growled as she took a swig of the wine not caring about the flavor but wanting the alcohol. "When we get to the restaurant, a French restaurant, which I have no idea what's on the menu or how to read it or what to even order, and now he's answering a phone call. From the secretary who sounded perky, big, titted, and blonde!"

"All that from a voice?" Jason mused.

"Perky, blonde, tits," Raven repeated. "Then halfway through the dinner, which he hasn't ended the call at all, so it's about an hour in, and he hangs up, looks at me and is like 'babe, I gotta go, here's my number, call' and was gone leaving me with the check!"

"Really?" Jason snorted.

"Go ahead laugh, I have his name right here on this napkin, and I had to walk home," she sighed as she held up the napkin and the summary of her shitty night was concluded and Jason took the napkin.

"Oh, this asshole, trust me you're better off without," Jason sneered.

"Thank you," she breathed and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, so other than that, was the food at least good?" he asked.

"It was, but I have no idea what I ordered," she omitted.

"Didn't think so, and you didn't really walk all the way home, did you little bird?"

"No, I teleported three blocks away, but it's the principle of these things," she stated.

"Here, here, next time give me a call, I'll come give you a ride," he grinned.

"Mmm, very kind of you Jason, but this dress and your bike would not survive and then there's the matter of the heels," she took a long sip of wine then.

"Good point, I can still go track him down and beat him up for you," Jason offered.

"No, I'm calling Victor for that, he's my big brother after all," she said innocently and he laughed.

"Feel better now?" he mused.

"Yeah, what about you, why are you here?" Raven yawned.

"No reason really, just… didn't want to be alone with myself tonight," he said dryly and she got up as she walked over to the couch and sat by him.

"You're not alone Jason, next time just give me a call," she said softly. There was a pang of want in his emotions, but then a sadness.

"I don't…"

"You call, and I'll come, I don't care where you are or what I'm doing, you're my friend Jason," she stated firmly.

"Rae," he started but she smiled slightly.

"Thanks for being my friend, by the way, I gave you a key, I don't know why you're jimmying the window," she said.

"How do you know I didn't use the key?" Jason demanded.

"Because I'm looking at the window I just fixed so it didn't open wide open," she said and he grinned.

"Rats, caught red handed," he chuckled.

"Mmm, you're not a very good burglar Red if you leave the windows open," she mused.

"I steal all sorts of things and never leave a trail," he promised.

"I know, Dick was ranting about it this morning, I looked at his case wall. Apparently he thinks you're in Fiji right now," she giggled remembered the cork board Dick had dedicated to Jason's exploits as Red X.

"I wish," Jason laughed.

"If you go, again, I'm coming with, I could use a vacation," she smiled.

"Deal," he nodded.

"Night Jason, thanks for the company after a shitty date," she said and dropped the name on a napkin in the rubbish along with the memory of the horrid night. She left the wine on her counter and walked to her room as she peeled off the dress and fell into bed in her undies feeling comfortable and safe. And a wee bit happier now than she had been coming home.


	8. And Yet...

They weren't serious, they weren't casual, they weren't even supposed to have started at all. And yet… And yet, here she was fretting about what she was going to wear for her fifth year anniversary. An anniversary she had only remembered because Victor had announced it.

Honestly it hadn't crossed hers' or Jason's mind how long they had been dating. Nope, not even close, they were just… they were just going. And yet, here they were at year five and she was standing in her underwear looking over her minimal selection of dresses.

Jason had thrown together a last minute anniversary thing, and only asked she dressed nice, so his family and her friends, didn't think them completely hapless at this relationship thing. Honestly anniversaries just… weren't important. She'd forgotten about their first year anniversary, and same with the second, and when the third rolled around and Victor made a big stint of it, she and Jason had been baffled at it being three years.

Victor had then announced to Bruce and family that it was year five of them being together and Bruce had asked Jason if he had had plans for this. Raven was panicking now as she stood in her closet desperately trying to think of something to wear when she heard Jason come in.

"Hey little bird," Jason called out. Raven snatched one of his zip up hoodies as she walked out in nothing but her garter belt and nylons.

"Hey," she greeted, her hair was done up, and she was wearing the simple ruby necklace he'd given her for Christmas last year when they'd been at Wayne Manor. Jason looked at her and his eyes carefully assessed her as a slow smile spread over his lips and he walked over to her.

"You are looking gorgeous little bird."

"Where are we going!?" she asked desperately as his hands rested on the swell of her hips.

"With you dressed like that, nowhere," he smiled.

"Jason!"

"I'm serious, sunshine," his mouth crashed onto hers, and she gasped at the familiar assault as she slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her fingers gripping the sleeves of his sweat shirt as he pulled her up with him. Nimbly she wrapped her legs around his hips as he backed her up into a wall, his mouth never leaving hers. His hands tightened on her thighs as she found herself squished between the wall and her lover. His mouth left hers as he trailed his lips over her jaw and the column of her neck.

"Say you don't want to go to dinner," he whispered as his sweatshirt slid off her shoulder.

"I don't," she replied honestly, she felt him smile against her skin.

"Good," he growled as his teeth lightly nipped her collar bone before she groaned at the rush of heat filling her veins. Her lover ripped the sweatshirt off and she watched as his eyes darkened and she felt his lust slam into her at full force.

"Fucking beautiful," he whispered hungrily. Raven didn't have a chance to argue with him, or think, or demand he shed himself of his own cloths as his mouth captured her nipple.

"Jason!" she gasped. He had her on fire as her empathy took in his lust, and desires, she groaned, she wouldn't be able to do much anything for him with what he was doing to her. his tongue was distracting her as she felt his hands slipping up along the underside of her thighs.

"Please, please," she whispered desperately as her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging it lightly. Her lover growled against her skin and she moaned at him using his teeth as his fingers shoved material away. Finally she could feel him near where she wanted him.

"God damn Raven, you're soak," he breathed against her skin.

"Who's fault is that?" she demanded.

"I proudly take credit for that," he murmured as he kissed her breast lightly, she moaned when his nail lightly trailed over her sex as she squirmed against the wall. She wanted to please him, she wanted him, she wanted… she wanted his mouth to never stop what it was doing, she thought with a low moan as he sucked on her other breast, her eyes fluttering shut.

Her hips jolted when he slid a finger in her passage, she sighed in bliss as she felt some of her aching need relieved. It wasn't what she wanted, not even close, but for now…

"Jason!" she breathed, his teeth scraped over her skin and she felt the fire flooding her as his lust drowned her, he teased her before he pulled his finger away and she whined.

"Can't wait tonight, love," he growled as pulled her from the wall and she laughed as he dropped her on the couch. "You're fucking empathy, you're going to undo me," he growled as he fought with his pants.

"Mmm, good!" she whispered as she shyly stretched out on the couch and let her fingers feather over her skin with his eyes on her. There was a throbbing ache between her thighs, and she felt on fire as she slowly spread her legs apart. His desire was mingled with hers' now and she moaned lowly feeling how much he wanted her as he shattered her shields. Slowly she dipped her fingers between her legs, whimpering in disappointed at the feeling of her slim fingers. She heard the clattering of Jason's belt, but she didn't open her eyes as she bit her lip in frustration.

She could never do this, not to herself; believe her, she'd tried, the one time Jason was gone for six months off world had been hell for her when her heat had hit and she had needed him. He was here, he was gone, now he was here, and she whimpered in frustration. Suddenly his hand was pulling her hand away as a mouth crashed onto hers' and his hand was on her thigh.

"Hurry up!" she pleaded against his mouth. He didn't pull away from the kiss as he slid into her, she groaned at the familiar stretch and she clung to him as she arched. It was so achingly familiar, it felt so good and he groaned as he started surging into her. Everything in her was molten as the world narrowed to what he was making her feel as she felt the pleasure searing through her veins. His emotions were shattering her and she nearly screamed feeling how close he was. Then his fingers were between them as he found her nerves and Raven's head fell back as she screamed, her emotions slashing out over the apartment as she felt the power give. Jason was a stroke behind her before he gave a shout and nearly fell on her as he slowed.

"That empathy," he panted as he lay over her.

"You started it," she muttered as her hand heavily fell into his hair. she felt the slight curl of it as she kept her eyes shut and breathed, feeling him on her, in her around her, she felt safe in the midst of a dangerous storm, for his emotions were still running wild, and stirring hers' up.

"Mmm, do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are in that necklace, garter, and nylons with my sweatshirt?"

"Better than in a dress?" she mused and he laughed against her skin.

"I love you," he murmured and she opened her eyes to stare at him. It wasn't as if she didn't know how he felt about her, but he never said it, she could count on one hand how many times he had said it to her.

"I love you too," she smiled as he lifted his head and looked at her with serious eyes. They weren't supposed to work, they weren't even supposed to get along. And yet…

"Marry me," he said softly.

She felt her smile widen as she shyly nodded.

And yet… here they were.


	9. Invisible

Raven was about ninety-nine percent certain that she was invisible to the male population of this world, or any world. Sighing she walked into her apartment, nineteen, after having tried, and failed to get a guy to notice her, and she was done. Perhaps people like her just weren't meant to be noticed.

Not even seven months into her transfer to Titans East, and she was already the 'creepy' chick, again. So much for a fresh start.

Dropping her coat Raven started stripping as she walked for her bathroom of her crummy apartment and drew a bath for herself. Wrapping herself up in a threadbare robe she wondered what the logic of transferring to New York was. Yes, she loved New York City, adored it, she'd even gone so far as to consider this her home from when she first came through the portal to earth because this was where she had landed. She loved it here. And yes, she loved her school, loved NYU, but she wasn't sure that giving up her life in San Francisco was the wisest course of action.

She wondered how Jason was doing, he and Victor had been the ones to drop her off at the airport when she left San Francisco and he promised he'd be alright and keep in touch. And he had. But emails weren't the same as talking to him. Standing from her tub, she left the warm bathroom to get herself a cup of tea.

There was a light rapping on her window which had her head snapping over and she smiled a bit seeing man she was just thinking of there. Walking over she pried her sticky window open.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey, can I come in?" he asked uncertainly. She just rolled her eyes as she let him in and then she struggled to shut her window as she returned to the bathroom to turn off her water before she walked out again. She'd have been painfully aware of her robe had it not been for the fact this was Jason, and today had proven she was invisible to the male population. Also, Kara and he had a thing going and last she heard from Jason it was a pretty good thing too.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I was in the area and thought to pop in," he grinned. "This is a… box."

"I know, but it's my box and it has hot water, working air conditioning, and a heater," she smirked in triumph.

"Then you're set," he mused as he sat on her ratty, but comfortable couch and groaned.

"Damn it, Red, you're bleeding," she grumbled seeing his shoulder.

"Yeah, asshole stabbed me, but I'm fine," Jason assured her.

"You're bleeding on my couch," she chided as she pulled out her first aid kit. She'd use her empathy to help him, but honestly, she was too damn tiered to even try to do that. She wouldn't want to botch up healing him. Walking back to her couch she perched herself on the back as she carefully peeled his shirt back and inspected the wound.

"It's not to deep," she observed.

"stupid kid," Jason shrugged.

"Hold still!" she snapped as she used her legs to pin him and she started inspecting the wound carefully before she pulled out her first aid box.

"Well this is a little…" Jason started with a smirk on his lips.

"Shut it Jason," she snapped.

"What, a bad day for the little bird?" he asked.

"I have had a disheartening day but I will manage," she assured him.

"Oh, what happened?" he asked with genuine interest.

"I have proven a sad theory to myself I didn't want proven and will attempt to move forward, don't move," she grabbed his head and turned it forward.

"Mmm… what theory?" he asked.

"That I'm invisible to the male population," she stated. And she felt the man between her legs stiffen.

"What?" he now looked at her.

"I said don't move," she snapped as she turned his head again and yelped in pain. "I was merely a tool for my date to make his girlfriend jealous again and them to get back together. I'm apparently too creepy to be his type."

"Well, he's a moron," Jason decided.

"Probably not, every guy I try to date, I'm just not their type," she sighed and pulled Jason's shirt down a bit to stare at his scars and check him over for bruising before she released him and plopped down beside him.

"So, what were you going to do about it?" he asked.

"Nothing, there's nothing to do, I can't magically change how I look past illusion spells which don't always work. So I was going to take a hot bubble bath, drink some tea, go to bed and call Star in the morning," she sighed.

"Sounds like a solid plan."

"Yeah, but now she's gushing about her engagement and I'm happy for her but I…" Raven shook her head.

"You what?"

"I want what she has, not with Dick, but I just… I want something," she breathed.

"You'll get it," he predicted.

"Thanks Jason, so how are things with you and Kara?" she asked.

"Over, she tried sticking her high morals and above humanity act in my work, and well, I've got better things to do than justify myself to her."

"I'm sorry, I know you really liked her," Raven said softly.

"Yeah, well, what are you gonna do," he shrugged. "So I decided a visit to my best friend was in order, and to offer o go beat up unworthy morons."

"Ah, well, Victor's got that covered, he's coming here next weekend."

"Hey, we should go to a game then," he decided.

"What game?"

"Mets Vs Knights, it's the game this weekend," Jason declared.

"Are you really sure you want to watch as your Knights tragically lose to my Mets?" Raven challenged.

"Oh please, my Knights are not that bad!" he defended.

"They're cursed Jason, they're worse than the Cubs," she informed him.

"Hey, I have a feeling the Cubs are about to break their curse," Jason stated.

"They haven't seen a World Series in over a hundred years!" she protested.

"True, but face it, princess, they're good, and they are going to get to the World Series, and it'll be a historic game cause they win," Jason stated.

"It'll be historic if they even get to the World Series," she laughed.

"Here, Here, and on that day I'll kiss you," he mused.

"Oh boy," she laughed. "A ball game sounds good."

"Excellent, I'll hang here, and get the tickets," he decided.

"Sounds fun," she mused. Raven had only recently gotten into baseball because of Victor and Jason, when they had started in on it they had dragged her into it and within the year of their friendship she had found herself becoming a hardcore Mets fan, while Jason rooted for his Gotham Knights, and Victor cheered for the Red Soxs.

They all passionately despised the Yankees.


	10. Crafty

Leaping through the air he twisted up as he drew his gun and fired before he hit the ground in a roll and continued running. Jason didn't slow as he leapt over a crate and landed behind it. Black Mask's men were after him and he wasn't going to be caught, it wasn't happening. He heard them approaching and he landed back on his hands as he used all the power he had in his legs to shove the heavy crates over as he rolled away to surge up onto his feet as he looked at the men.

There were more gunshots and Jason ran as he continued to lure Black Mask's people to his carefully laid trap. He skidded to a halt on the docks and turned on the men. He was smiling beneath his hood as he stood there.

"Nowhere to run, Hood, Black Mask is going to want to talk to you," one of the goons announced.

"Who said I was running?" he asked primly and then he hit the button on the glove of gear and watched as a massive net captured the men before the warehouse he'd been planting the explosives in blew. The force was powerful and would have knocked him off his feet had he not known about it and been prepared.

"Tell Black Mask, I'm coming for him," Jason said calmly. "And there's no stopping me."

Walking off he let the chosen victims live as he whistled a bit under his breath before he took to the rooftops. In a pocket of his cargo pants there was his goal of a drive for knowing what Black Mask was dealing with and he was feeling rather crafty about how he had obtained it. He had carefully blown the biggest storage of Black Mask's arms on the west coast, and he'd taken out a hefty part of the organization. Now he had the information to destroy the rest.

"Hood," a deep voice rumbled and Jason stiffened as he slowly turned to face Bruce, who stood there in his cowl. It was the first time since he'd demanded Bruce choose that they had seen one another. He felt the Lazarus Pit boiling beneath his skin. It'd only been a few months since he'd picked up Red Hood again with Raven's support and she had even been helping him out behind the scenes with Victor on the evidence stuff.

"Bats," he said as indifferently as he could manage.

"I… I thought you were dead," he heard Bruce managed hoarsely.

"No thanks to you," he snarled.

"What are you doing?" Bruce asked him.

"My fucking job, the part you won't do," Jason stated firmly. He didn't care about how Bruce would feel about this. All that mattered was he had a purpose again, and he had the support of Raven and Victor which had come to mean a lot to him since April.

Jason stopped on that thought.

Had it really almost been a year since Raven had dragged him out of that bloodbath? Apparently. The cold, damp California reminded him it was January.

"I…" Bruce started.

"Later B, I've got shit to do," Jason gave his mock salute as he ran off. He leapt off the building with ease as he lightly landed on a fire escape and he continued down to his bike as he roared off. The crafty feeling of his success was waning as he pulled into his hide out, checked his gear over for Batman's tracers, satisfied he was finding nothing he changed out and walked out of there with his messy hair flopping in the air, he needed to get a trim.

Pulling out the communicator Victor had given him he called Raven.

"Mmm?" was the mumbled greeting.

"Well little bird, I've got tech here," Jason said.

"Where are you?" she mumbled.

"In my safehouse."

"If you make waffles at my place I'll have Victor here for breakfast and you two can go over the tech," she yawned.

"Not a bad deal," he mused.

"And Jason, use the key, it's too damn cold for you to break my window," she said.

"Ah but you love it when I use the window!"

"I will send you to another dimension," she warned.

"You wouldn't dare," he said in exaggerated offense.

"I would. And don't think about being crafty or something and picking my lock, I gave you a key," she warned.

"You just want to suck the joy out of everything," he informed her.

"I'm not fun," she said indifferently.

"I'll see you in the morning little bird," he mused.

"See you in a few," she hung up and he smiled a bit. It was really nice to have a friend, he hadn't had one of those in such a long time he'd almost forgotten how it felt. He was feeling a bit better talking to Raven, but there was an itch just beneath his skin which had him wanting to go out and destroy something. Carefully he started pulling out supplies to make a few weapons and trackers he was no doubt going to need for this job and he focused. There was no way he going to give into the Pit, it was part of his deal with Raven and Victor, and he'd work as hard as he needed to not to let them down. Also Raven's empathy would help, and he'd see her in a few hours.

Looking up he pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head and continued working. He was good at this, he was good at this kind of work, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad as he focused on crafting a bomb.

It was around six when he cleaned up and put everything away as he left his safe house and started for Raven's place; he'd moved into a safe house about four blocks from her because he had felt like an intruder living with her. pulling out his keys he decided to honor her request as he walked into her apartment and saw her watching the news.

"Little much on the explosives," she informed him.

"Nah, it was a good night," he mused.

"So I see, crafty Red just loves making things go boom."

"Damn straight."


End file.
